The present invention relates to cable sealing devices and, more particularly, to a cable sealing device that may be quickly and reliably installed and that includes a cable grip for sealingly gripping a cable held within the device.
Cable enclosures are essential components in data- and tele-communications networks. Enclosures may be provided at various locations in a network, including at the ingress and egress to a building (either inside or outside the building) and at interconnection points within the network, e.g., on a telephone pole or in a utility box. Cables may be routed into and out of the enclosure through openings typically provided in an enclosure cover. In addition to cables, interconnection hardware, electronic devices, circuits, etc., may also be contained within an enclosure. Regardless of where an enclosure is located (i.e., inside or outside), it is desirable to seal the enclosure to prevent exposure of the interior compartment of the enclosure and its contents to undesirable and potentially damaging environmental conditions (e.g., moisture, caustic materials, particular matter, etc.).
A grommet or other sealing device is typically provided at an opening in the enclosure cover to provide a partial seal of that opening when a cable, for example, as routed through the opening. However, such sealing devices do not provide sufficient sealing to ensure the integrity of the interior environment against damaging environmental conditions. A shape-adaptive part such as, for example, heat-shrink tubing, may be placed around the cable at the ingress/egress point and around the grommet to further seal the enclosure opening. However, that solution is time-consuming and also may not necessarily guarantee a consistent and reliable seal.
There thus exists a need for a cable sealing device that overcomes the above-described shortcomings of the prior art.
The present invention is directed to a cable sealing device that quickly, consistently and reliably provides a seal of a cable ingress/egress opening.
The present invention is also directed to a cable sealing device for providing a seal at an opening in an enclosure. The sealing device comprising a body having a first part and a second part. First and second cable channels are defined longitudinally through the body and through which a cable may be routed. A cable grip is defined in each of the first and second cable channel that provides both gripping of a cable routed through each of the cable channels and also provides sealing of the cable channels. The first part of the body is sized and shaped to pass through the opening in the enclosure. The second part of the body has an outer surface and is sized and shaped so that the outer surface at least partially contacts an inner part of the opening so as to secure the cable sealing device in the opening and so as to compress the cable grip about the cable to grip the cable and seal each of the first and second cable channel.
The present invention is further directed to a sealing system for an enclosure comprising an enclosure end cap for sealing an opening in the enclosure. The end cap includes a cable port having an inner surface. The cable sealing system also includes a sealing device through which a cable may be routed and for providing a seal of the cable port. The sealing device comprises a body having a first part and a second part, and having a first and second cable channel defined longitudinally through the body. A cable grip is defined in each of the first and second cable channel that provides both gripping of a cable routed through each of the first and second cable channel and that provides sealing of each of the first and second cable channel. The first part of the body is preferably sized and shaped to pass through the cable port. The second part of the body has an outer surface and is sized and shaped so that the outer surface at least partially contacts an inner surface of the cable port opening so as to secure the cable sealing device in the cable port and so as to compress the cable grip about the cable to grip the cable and seal the cable channel.
The present invention is also directed to a cable sealing device for providing a seal at an opening in an enclosure. The sealing device comprises a body having a first and second cable channel defined therethrough and through which a cable may be routed. A cable grip is defined in each of the first and second cable channel. The body at least partially contacts an inner part of the opening in the enclosure so as to secure the cable sealing device in the opening and thereby compressing the cable grip about the cable to grip the cable and seal each of the first and second cable channel.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings, which are not to scale, are designed solely for the purpose of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.